Music

List of Famous Bands from Japan

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Updated June 8, 2017 21.3k views 767 items

List of Japan bands, listed by their level of fame. This Japan musicians list includes both bands and solo artists. All famous Japan bands are included, as well as many Japan musicians of underground status. This list of Japan musical artists includes information like what genre the artist falls under, what albums they've put out and more. If you want to know more about these famous Japan bands you can click on their names to learn more about them. Bands from every genre are listed here, including rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, jazz, and more.

The list you're viewing has a variety of bands in it, like LOUDNESS and Boredoms.

If you're wondering, "What bands are from Japan?" or "What is a list of Japan bands?" then this list will answer your questions. (767 items)
1
LOUDNESS is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Terror, Disillusion, Thunder in the East, On the Prowl, Hurricane Eyes, + more

Loudness is a Japanese metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United ...more

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2
Boredoms is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Vision Creation Newsun, Super æ, Super Roots 6, Onanie Bomb Meets the Sex Pistols, Super Roots, + more

Boredoms (ボアダムス (Boadamusu)) (later known as V∞redoms) is a rock band from Osaka, Japan. The band was officially formed in 1986. The band's output is usually referred to as noise rock or ...more
3
Hyde is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Genre: Pop music, Pop rock & Alternative rock; Nationality: Japan

Albums: Roentgen, Faith, 666, Season's Call, Shallow Sleep, + more

Hideto Takarai (寶井 秀人, Takarai Hideto, born January 29, 1969 in Wakayama, Japan), known exclusively by his stage name Hyde, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. He is ...more
4
Akira Takasaki is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Genre: Rock music and Heavy metal; Nationality: Japan

Albums: Geneshaft Original Sound Track, Gene Shaft Ost Extended Score, Tusk of Jaguar, Nenriki, SHAFT DRIVE

Akira Takasaki (高崎 晃, Takasaki Akira, born February 22, 1961, in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy ...more
5
L'Arc-en-Ciel is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Dune, Ark, Ray, True, Awake, + more

L'Arc-en-Ciel is a Japanese rock band, founded in Osaka in 1991. The group has sold over 15 million records and were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden. In 2003, they ...more

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#56 of 88 The Best Neo-progressive Rock Bands #90 of 109 The Best New Prog Bands #39 of 152 The Best J-Pop Bands & Singers

6
Malice Mizer is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: La Collection des Singles, Beast of Blood, Merveilles, Bara No Seidou, Gardenia, + more

Malice Mizer was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by guitarists Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", ...more
7
Ghost is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Ghost, In Stormy Nights, Lama Rabi Rabi, Snuffbox Immanence, Hypnotic Underworld, + more

Ghost was an experimental rock group formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 1984.

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#868 of 2,211 The Best Rock Bands of All Time #1,027 of 1,060 The Worst Bands & Musicians of All Time #139 of 620 The Greatest Live Bands of All Time

8
Ikimono-gakari is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari, My Song Your Song, Barādon, Hajimari no Uta, Life Album, + more

Ikimono-gakari is a Japanese pop rock band from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The group started in February 1999 with Hotaka Yamashita and Yoshiki Mizuno, and was joined by vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka ...more

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#10 of 152 The Best J-Pop Bands & Singers #11 of 186 The Best Japanese Music Artists #56 of 93 The Best Japanese Rock Bands

9
Bleach is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Three Girls From Okinawa, Kibakuzai, Bleach, Bleach 03, Hadaka No Jyuu (Queen Of Nudity), + more

Bleach was an all girl thrashcore trio from Okinawa, Japan. On June 10, 2009, Bleach announced on their website that they have disbanded. Their final album, Bleach Stone, was released on July 7, ...more
10
The Pillows is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: LITTLE BUSTERS: float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Ame ni utaeba, Pied Piper, Smile, + more

The Pillows are a Japanese alternative rock band formed in 1989. As of 2014, the group has released 19 original studio albums, several EPs and compilations, and over 30 singles. Outside Japan, ...more
11
Sigh is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien, Gallows Gallery, Imaginary Sonicscape, Scorn Defeat, Infidel Art, + more

Sigh is a Japanese extreme metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They are credited as being one of the first Japanese black metal bands, when the majority of black metal in early 1990s came ...more
12
the GazettE is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Hankou Seimeibun, Nil, Cockayne Soup, Stacked Rubbish, Regret, + more

The Gazette, originally known as Gazette, is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Kanagawa formed in early 2002. The band is currently signed to Sony Music Japan's VVV Records.
13
Hide is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Genre: Glam metal, Progressive metal & Rock music; Nationality: Japan

Albums: Psyence, Ja, Zoo, TELL ME, Hide Your Face, + more

Hideto Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本 秀人, Hepburn: Matsumoto Hideto, December 13, 1964 – May 2, 1998), better known by his stage name hide, was a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record ...more
14
Luna Sea is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: LUNACY, SHINE, STYLE, Eden, Mother, + more

Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1989. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they ...more
15
Tak Matsumoto is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Genre: Blues-rock, Pop music & Rock music; Nationality: Japan

Albums: Hana, Thousand Wave, Take Your Pick, Ultraman Original Soundtrack, House of Strings, + more

Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto (松本 孝弘, Matsumoto Takahiro, born on March 27, 1961 in Toyonaka, Osaka) is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and ...more
16
Maximum the Hormone is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Kusoban, Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma, Hō, A.S.A. Crew, Bu-ikikaesu, + more

Maximum the Hormone is a Japanese rock band from Hachiōji, Tokyo. Their lineup has consisted of Daisuke-han, Nao, Maximum the Ryo-kun, and Ue-chan since 1999. Each member alternates singing lead ...more
17
Tomoyasu Hotei is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Genre: Rock music and Music of Japan; Nationality: Japan

Albums: Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll, SPACE COWBOY SHOW ENCORE, Soul Sessions, All Time Super Best, Electric Samurai, + more

Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋 寅泰, Hotei Tomoyasu, born on February 1, 1962, in Takasaki, Gunma), also known simply as Hotei ( HOH-tay) is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer ...more

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#122 of 152 The Best J-Pop Bands & Singers #101 of 186 The Best Japanese Music Artists #599 of 632 Famous Lead Guitarists

18
Acid Mothers Gong is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Electric Heavyland, Starless and Bible Black Sabbath, Just Another Band From the Cosmic Inferno, Univers Zen ou de zéro à zéro, New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple, + more

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (and subsequent offshoots) is a Japanese psychedelic rock band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata ...more
19
Kagrra, is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: [gozen], irodori, kirameki, Ouka Ranman, Sakura, + more

Kagrra, was a Japanese visual kei rock band. They were originally signed to the now defunct Key Party Records under the name "Crow". The group changed its name when they signed to PS
20
Ayumi Hamasaki is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Genre: Pop music, Rock music & Electronic music; Nationality: Japan

Albums: A Song for ××, appears, Connected, M, UNITE!, + more

Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi, born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson and entrepreneur. Through her entire career, she has ...more

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#929 of 1,043 The Best Singers of All Time #154 of 310 The Best Electronic Bands & Artists #16 of 152 The Best J-Pop Bands & Singers

21
Galneryus is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: Live for Rebirth, The Flag of Punishment, Shining Moments, Beyond the End of Despair…, One For All - All For One, + more

Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in Osaka in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B. Originally the only official members, the two utilized several support musicians until ...more

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#57 of 255 The Best Symphonic Metal Bands #105 of 259 The Best Power Metal Bands #75 of 200 The Best Speed Metal Bands

22
Beat Crusaders is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: MUSICRUSADERS, REST CRUSADERS, P.O.A. ～POP ON ARRIVAL～, LUST CRUSADERS -OTHER SIDE OF BEAT CRUSADERS-, ALL YOU CAN EAT, + more

Beat Crusaders (ビート・クルセイダース, Bīto Kuruseidāsu, typeset as BEAT CRUSADERS) were a Japanese rock band active from 1997 to 2010. During all promotional appearances, their faces are masked by ...more
23
Sabbat is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: The Dwelling, ...to Praise the Sabbatical Queen, Sabbatical Holocaust, For Satan and Sacrifice, Sabbatrinity, + more

Sabbat is a Japanese black metal band, formed in the early 1980s. On some releases, they showcase a more thrash and heavy influenced sound.
24
Yellow Magic Orchestra ... is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: X ∞ Multiplies, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Technodon, Technodelic, BGM, + more

Yellow Magic Orchestra is a Japanese electronic music band consisting of principal members Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. For their early studio albums and live ...more
25
Schwarz Stein is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan

Albums: New vogue children, Artificial Hallucination, Current, Perfect Garden, Another cell, + more

Schwarz Stein is a Japanese visual kei electronic music duo formed by Hora and Kaya in 2001, who disbanded in 2004 and regrouped in 2014.

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